“Mouthwatering cuisine in every stop”
8 Day Incredible Food Tour and Cooking Vacation in Sicily
Hotel Gargallo, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
Italian Cooking Vacation and Sightseeing in Sicily
Enjoy an expertly designed week in eastern Sicily visiting some of the most historical and delicious sites the region has to offer. Some of the highlights for the week include three private cooking classes, plenty of day trips to UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Catania, Modica, Ragusa, Noto and Etna, wine tastings, and delicious meals on local locations. A trip to Sicily would be incomplete without a visit to the beautiful seaside town of Taormina. The week is filled with cooking classes, tastings, wine, and laughs!
Meet the instructors
Francesca
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Highlights
- Chocolate tasting in Modica
- 3 private Sicilian cooking classes
- Day trip to Etna with cooking class on a winery
- Private day trip to Catania with a guided street food tour
- Visit an olive oil mill in Noto with cooking class on location
- Evening boat ride around the island of Ortigia
- Private food market tour in Ortigia
- 7 nights accommodation
Styles
6 days with instruction
Group size: 6-12 participants
Airport transfer available:
Catania–Fontanarossa Airport (US$60 per person)
Catania–Fontanarossa Airport (US$60 per person)
Accommodation
Check-in Time:
15:00
Check-out Time:
12:00
Throughout the holiday, you will stay at Hotel Gargallo in Syracuse.
Program
Day 1 - Arrival and welcome dinner
Arrive at the highly rated and centrally located boutique Hotel Gargallo, to check-in, unpack and settle in. Get to know your new host city by taking in all the sites and sounds. Perhaps grab your first gelato of the week, but save room for dinner.
Meet and greet: In the evening, you will enjoy your first group activity with a delicious wine tasting and snacks to hold you over until welcome dinner. You will get to know your fellow travelers, get a first taste of Sicily's unique cuisine, and enjoy some local wine. Questions about the week will be answered so you know what to expect during the week to come.
Day 2 - Cooking class on the foot of Etna + afternoon in Taormina
Grab your apron, your wine glass, and your camera because today, you will need all three! In the morning, you head towards a beautiful winery located at the foot of Etna. Enjoy a delicious wine tasting before you roll up your sleeves and work for the lunch! Enjoy a hands-on culinary experience as you prepare a typical Sicilian lunch, enjoyed with wine made on location, of course!
Named as the "Pearl of the Mediterranean," Taormina is the next stop and is a must-visit destination for anyone making their way to Eastern Sicily. A favorite for travelers visiting Sicily since the 19th century, Taormina can easily be called the tourist capital of Sicily, and for good reasons, its beauty is unmatched! In Taormina, you will enjoy some shopping time and of course, a gelato at a favorite shop.
Day 3 - Day trip to Modica and Ragusa
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, today you visit Modica, an authentically Sicilian baroque town famous for many things, but most of all, for its chocolate! Rich, dark and delicious, the chocolate in Modica is served solid or melted, plain or flavored with vanilla or other extracts and you will be able to find it in all the shops and cafes. Today you get a lesson on chocolate, how to spot an imposter, and how to really taste it, yes, there is a way!
After Modica, you head towards Ragusa, one of the most picturesque towns in all of Sicily. In Ragusa, you will enjoy a lovely walk in the town square, visit the Duomo, enjoy the elegant streets, take pictures of the beautiful buildings and visit a small cheese Bottega for a tasting of the local cheese. A wonderful lunch at one of the most favored restaurants in Ragusa awaits you to be enjoyed leisurely.
Day 4 - Market visit and cooking class + evening food tour
One of the favorite aspects of traveling to Italy is visiting the food markets, and Ortigia certainly has one of the most entertaining and lively markets. Today, you will visit the market to purchase the ingredients for the cooking class. Walk along the market and be educated on the products locals use every day to prepare delicious meals for their families.
After the market, you head over to a culinary studio to prepare a delicious meal. What's the menu? You won't know until you visit the market, of course, because you will purchase what is freshest and best that day.
In the evening, you will bypass a traditional dinner and enjoy a food walking tour instead. You will visit several of Lazy Italian Culinary Adventures' favorite restaurants and sample their specialties. After sampling seafood, meats, and other treats, you will end it all with dessert. Because what's a foodie walking tour without dessert?
Day 5 - Day trip to Catania
This morning you will enjoy a private food and culture tour of Catania, expertly led by a native guide. You will learn all about the history of this interesting city, often called the "black city," due to the color of the buildings, blackened by soot and ash from the nearby volcano.
Learn about its frequent sad history, walk the baroque streets all while enjoying some delicious local food & wine. A UNESCO-World Heritage Site, the city's fighting spirit will be evident as we learn how, despite its tragedies, it has always managed to bounce back, even better than before.
The walk will take you to Via Etna, the Duomo, the Elephant Fountain, the Cathedral, and the Amphitheater. But being also a foodie tour, you will visit some of the best local wine bars and food shops along the way, not to mention a detailed market visit sampling arancini and other specialties.
Day 6 - Day trip to Noto + cooking class
Today, you head out of Ortigia and visit the beautifully historic city of Noto, another UNESCO World Heritage Site from your week in Sicily. Known for its baroque architecture and the Noto Cathedral, this small town, which is easily covered by foot, begs to be visited, explored and photographed.
After a walking tour, you head over to lunch. But it's not going to be any lunch, you will visit one of the most reputable olive oil mills in the area. Here you will have the opportunity to visit the area, learn all about the olive oil making process, and enjoy a wonderful hands-on cooking class. You will enjoy your efforts outside, eating, and savoring the best olive oil you have ever had.
Day 7 - Boat ride + farewell dinner
Your time in Sicily is winding down and by this time, you've eaten your way through some of Eastern Sicily's most delectable cities. Today, you'll enjoy some time on your own to shop, return to a magical site in Siracusa, or simply enjoy Italy's Dolce Vita by relaxing by the sea and people-watching in the town piazza.
In the early evening, you will meet for a sunset cruise ride and watch as the sun sets over the beautiful island.
A delicious final farewell dinner is planned for your last evening in Sicily. Enjoy some time with your travel companions, exchange stories and contact info as you salute to a wonderful week in Sicily!
Day 8 - Check-out
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before checking out.
Instructors
Francesca Montillo
Francesca was born and partly raised in a small town in Southern Italy and lived there for most of her younger years. Her parents and her birth country really helped her appreciate its food and culture. Today, she teaches cooking at several local adult education centers in the Boston area as well as private classes in clients homes or her own. She also leads, plans, and organizes culinary tours to Italy. On the tours you get to participate in regional cooking classes, walking culinary tours, wine tastings, and cultural excursions.
Location
Your week begins in Siracusa, and this will be the home base for the entire week. Siracusa, filled with Baroque architecture, is a wonderland of ancient civilizations that still resonates in the streets of this beautiful coastal city.
Sicily is an easy flight from Rome, and you will want to land in Catania, Sicily's second-largest city. Your hotel is in Ortigia, Siracusa's city center and what is considered the "old" part of town. Enjoy a welcome drink before heading off to your first taste of Sicilian cuisine.
Food
Included in the price are daily breakfast at your hotel, five lunches, and four dinners. You will also enjoy cooking classes, food tour, and a chocolate tasting session.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
What's included
- 7 nights accommodations
- Daily breakfast at your hotel, five lunches, four dinners
- Private transportation throughout tour for day trips
- Visit Etna with cooking class on location
- Visit Taormina with afternoon shopping time
- Day trip to Catania with a private food tour
- 3 private culinary lessons
- Visit Modica for a chocolate tasting
- Visit Ragusa with lunch on location
- Evening boat ride
- Visit Noto with cooking class and lunch on the olive oil mill
- Market visit in Ortigia with a cooking class following
- Cooking class in a private culinary studio in Ortigia
What's not included
- Airfare
- Transportation to the hotel
- Travel insurance
- Expenses of any personal nature
- Tips to local guides & instructors
How to get there
Recommended Airports
CTA
Catania–Fontanarossa Airport
49 km
Transfer available for additional US$60 per person
Arrival by airplane
Please book your flight to arrive at Catania–Fontanarossa Airport (CTA). The hotel is one hour away from the airport and it will cost about 50-60 EUR to reach by private car / driver. Because many travelers arrive one or two days earlier and at various times, Lazy Italian Culinary Adventures does not provide transportation to / from the airport on the first and last day. However, they can assist with making private transportation.
Airport: Catania–Fontanarossa Airport
Airport transfer available:
Catania–Fontanarossa Airport (US$60 per person)
Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 24% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookCulinaryVacations.com. All major credit cards supported.
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